LOCATION MICAVILLE NCEstablished Series
The Micaville series consists of deep, somewhat excessively drained soils with moderately rapid permeability. They formed in residuum affected by soil creep in the upper part, weathered from high-grade metamorphic rocks having a high mica content such as mica gneiss, mica schist and pegmatite. These soils are on ridges and side slopes in the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130). Slope ranges from 8 to 95 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 57 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 52 degrees F., near the type location.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, micaceous, mesic Typic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Micaville channery coarse sandy loam, on a west-facing, 37 percent, intermediate mountain side slope, forested, at an elevation of 3,000 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed oak-pine leaf litter. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Oe--01 to 2 inches; moderately decomposed leaf litter. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A--2 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) channery coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; many fine and medium and few coarse tubular pores; many fine flakes of mica; 10 by volume pebbles and 15 percent channers; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channery coarse sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine to coarse roots; common fine and few medium and coarse tubular pores; many fine flakes of mica; 15 percent by volume pebbles and 15 percent channers; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--9 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) coarse sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine to coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few medium and many fine flakes of mica; 10 percent by volume pebbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--30 to 39 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) coarse sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine to coarse roots; few very fine or fine tubular and vesicular pores; many fine flakes of mica; 5 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 12 to 48 inches.)
BC--39 to 53 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) gravelly sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine to coarse roots; few very fine tubular and vesicular pores; common medium and many fine flakes of mica; 20 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--53 to 63 inches; weathered, multicolored mica schist that can be dug with difficulty with hand tools; few fine and medium roots in cracks that are spaced more than 4 inches apart.
TYPE LOCATION: Mitchell County, North Carolina; about 12.0 miles south of Bakersville on North Carolina Highway 226 to the intersection of U.S. Highway 19E and North Carolina Highway 226 in Spruce Pine, 1.4 miles east on U.S. Highway 19E to Secondary Road 1143 (Beaver Creek Road), 1.2 miles north on Secondary Road 1143 to a gravel road, 0.9 mile northeast on the gravel road, on a west-facing road cut; Spruce Pine USGS Quadrangle, lat., 35 degrees, 56 minutes, 47 seconds N., and long. 82
degrees, 03 minutes, 25 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is commonly 20 to 40 inches, but ranges from 20 to 55 inches. Depth to paralithic contact (Cr) ranges from 40 to 60 inches below the surface. Depth to lithic contact (R) is more than 60 inches. Flakes of mica range from few to many in the A horizon and are many in the B and C horizons. Content of rock fragments is less than 35 percent by volume. They are commonly pebbles and channers, but include cobbles or stones. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid throughout, except where surface layers have been limed.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Horizons with value of 3 or less, are less than 7 inches thick. Fine-earth texture is coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The BA or BE horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Fine-earth texture is coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Fine-earth texture is coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The BC horizon or the CB horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Fine-earth texture is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The C horizon, where present, is multicolored or it has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8 and may be variegated or mottled in shades of these colors. Fine-earth texture is loamy sand, coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The Cr horizon is weathered, multicolored, micaceous, high-grade metamorphic rock such as mica schist, mica gneiss, and pegmatite. It is partially consolidated, but can be dug with difficulty by hand tools. The upper boundary is considered as a paralithic contact where root spacing is greater than 4 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chandler and Manor series in the same family. Brownwood, Cashiers, Fannin, Mt. Airy, and Watauga series are in closely related families. Chandler soils are do not have a paralithic contact within 60 inches of the surface. Manor soils have hue of 5YR or redder. Brownwood soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches below the surface. Cashiers soils have an A horizon with value of 3 that is 7 to 10 inches thick and are very deep to bedrock. Fannin and Watauga soils have argillic horizons. Mt. Airy soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inch particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Micaville soils are on ridges and side slopes in the Blue Ridge (MLRA 130). Slopes are dominantly 15 to 75 percent, but range from 8 to 95 percent. Elevation ranges from 1,400 to 4,200 feet. Micaville soils formed in residuum affected by soil creep in the upper part, and are weathered from high-grade metamorphic rocks having a high mica content such as mica schist, mica gneiss, and pegmatite. The mean annual air temperature ranges from about 47 to 57 degrees F., the frost free season ranges from about 110 to 160 days, and average annual rainfall ranges from about 48 to 64 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Brownwood, Chandler, Cashiers, Fannin, and Watauga soils, these are Ashe, Buladean, Chestnut, Cleveland, Cowee, Cullasaja, Edneyville, Evard, Saunook, Thunder, Tuckasegee, and Tusquitee soils. Ashe, Buladean, Chestnut, Cleveland, Cowee, Edneyville, and Evard soils are on landscape positions similar to Micaville, but contain less mica and are in different mineralogy families. Cullasaja, Saunook, Thunder, Tuckasegee, and Tusquitee soils formed in colluvium, contain less mica, and are in different mineralogy families.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff class is low on strong and moderately steep slopes and medium on steeper slopes. Runoff is much lower where forest litter has little or no disturbance.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Micaville soils are forested. Common trees are chestnut oak, white oak, scarlet oak, black oak, hickory, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, and pitch pine. Yellow poplar and northern red oak are common in the northern portions of MLRA 130. The dominant understory is flowering dogwood, mountain-laurel, rhododendron, and sourwood. Some small areas are in pasture, hayland, or cultivated crops. The major crops grown are native ornamentals, and Christmas trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Ridge (MLRA 130) of North Carolina, and possibly Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mitchell County, North Carolina; 1997.
REMARKS: Soils now included with the Micaville series were previously mapped with the Chandler series. Chandler soils are very deep to bedrock.
The 9/96 revision added changes in textures and runoff class.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 5 inches (Oi, Oe, and A horizons).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 53 inches (Bw1, Bw2 and BC horizons).
Paralithic contact - contact with weathered bedrock at 53 inches (upper boundary of the Cr horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
MLRA: 130 SIR(s): NC0275
Revised: 05/93-JBA,JAK; 09/96-BPS,DHK, 12/97-DHK, 7/00-MKC
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE; pedon number S90NC-121-004.